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View Full Version : 70 Year's old and Hiking.... Serious thoughts only need application here.......



Wise Old Owl
07-18-2011, 21:07
I don't know where to start. My Dad enjoys hiking, but after a recent back operation, up and down for a little while are off the table... riding a mountain bike is still on the table, he's 75 and still going as best as he can. So I think I can plan a trip in the NJ pine barrens. Thats me on the right, my youngest brother in the middle and Dad on the left on the Angel Trail (Mason Dixon) Lancaster, PA. So I'm 25 years away from this where do you see yourself hiking when you get older..... BTW the Clubs are full of older hikers!

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/2009B067.jpg

SawnieRobertson
07-18-2011, 21:12
When I am 25 years older than I am right now, I see myself hiking the same way I do now--as best as I can.--Kinnickinic

Shutterbug
07-18-2011, 21:24
Your question was, "Where do you see yourself hiking when you get older?" I guess I would have to ask "older than who?" At age 68, I have three more "big" hikes planned for this year -- The Wonderland Trail in Washington State, A rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon, and the Ressurection Trail in Alaska. I will work in a few other hikes in between.

For younger people who want to hike well into their elder years, I have some advice --

protect your knees. Many of my contemporaries are unable to hike with me because their knees just won't hold up. To protect your knees: 1)Keep your body weight as light as practical. 2)Exercise evey day -- hiking is a good exercise. I wear a pedometer and make sure I get 10,000 steps a day.

Live on less than you make so you can afford to hike when you are retired. Those who live on just social security can't afford hiking trips.

Earlier this year, when my wife and I were hiking in the Grand Canyon, we met a 90 year old who was hiking from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim in one day. He was slow, but steady. For some reason, we don't meet many people in the bottom of the Grand Canyon that are older than we are.

Wise Old Owl
07-18-2011, 21:55
You nailed it Shutterbug... these are the best years of our lives....pedometers were far to inaccurate for me, but your future plans are awsome!

Good Luck!

Wil
07-18-2011, 22:28
Earlier this year, when my wife and I were hiking in the Grand Canyon, we met a 90 year old who was hiking from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim in one day. He was slow, but steady.A couple of months ago I met a couple, both 86 I think they said, on the way out of the Canyon, shared a break at one of the water stops up Bright Angel. They were doing fine, slow & steady. A very cute gay couple still obviously very much in love.

"Maverick" was, I think 86 and still doing rim-to-rims. I'm sure he would have been doing so into his 90s if it weren't for his mental breakdown and resulting death.

My very much younger brother and frequent hiking partner said to me (unintentionally condescending) a dozen years ago "I hope I'm still able to hike these mountains when I reach YOUR age." Well, he's reached that milestone and we're both still going strong.

Red Hat
07-19-2011, 00:18
When I am 25 years older than I am right now, I see myself hiking the same way I do now--as best as I can.--Kinnickinic You are so funny, Kinnickinic! As I get older, I get slower, but I still see myself hiking, just not as far or as fast. Hope to still be out at 78 like Kinnickinic and maybe at 103 which is what she'll be in 25 yrs... Cimmaron is still out there and he's almost 90!

Shutterbug
07-19-2011, 00:51
"Maverick" was, I think 86 and still doing rim-to-rims. I'm sure he would have been doing so into his 90s if it weren't for his mental breakdown and resulting death.



Mavrick was an inspiration. I was priviledged to meet him on one of my hikes. We road the Trans-Canyon Shuttle together from the South Rim to the North. If I remember correctly, it was his 94th rim to rim hike. I think he topped 100 before he died. I intended to take his picture at the North Rim, but while I was still adjusting my pack he was already headed down the trail. I never saw him again.

Feral Bill
07-19-2011, 01:07
I'll be 83 then. I guess I'll see how much i decay between now and then. Shutterbug's ideas look good. I'd sure like to at least be day hiking.

moytoy
07-19-2011, 02:09
Hmm..64+25=89.. DNA may play a big role for me in this. I'm still doing 6-7 miles 5 times a week now. It's hard to say what I'll be doing at 89. My Mother died last year at 87 and she was still walking 1+ miles every day. The last picture we have of her was at Bald River Falls three days before she died. My brother said she had walked about a mile that day. If I can follow her path I'll be satisfied!

moytoy
07-19-2011, 02:09
Hmm..64+25=89.. DNA may play a big role for me in this. I'm still doing 6-7 miles 5 times a week now. It's hard to say what I'll be doing at 89. My Mother died last year at 87 and she was still walking 1+ miles every day. The last picture we have of her was at Bald River Falls three days before she died. My brother said she had walked about a mile that day. If I can follow her path I'll be satisfied!

Wil
07-19-2011, 03:06
Mavrick was an inspiration. I was priviledged to meet him on one of my hikes.I ran across him a couple of times but only on the third and last occasion, about two years before his death, did I spend much time with him. He was waiting for a group of younger and slower companions to catch up, and I threw away my schedule and we talked for nearly two hours

Yes, he was an inspiration. I will never forget him.

Most of the Rangers of course hated him and that hostility apparently boiled inside him and had some effect on his breakdown. But it's not their fault; I know so many of them and they are good people. Maverick saw himself as bigger and more important than them or their rules, and he was, but there is no way they could be expected to understand, appreciate, or accommodate that.

Pictures I have seen of him late also show a bad look in his eyes so very different from the sparkle I remember. Clearly he was sick.

I am getting old enough that I begin to understand the phrase "elderly curmudgeon." It's a late symptom of the terminal disease called life, I think. For some people it sets in at puberty. We need to combat that symptom just as aggressively as we do knee degeneration if we want to have a very long and happy life, hiking or otherwise.

nufsaid
07-19-2011, 08:54
Maverick saw himself as bigger and more important than them or their rules, and he was,

He wasn't. His grandiose ideation may have been a symptom of his inner demons that eventually led to the murder of his wife and his suicide. His wife was the victim. And even implying that the Rangers may be in any way responsibility for his actions is absurd. I find hikers that feel themselves more important than others repulsive.

Pedaling Fool
07-19-2011, 09:06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUvjXQHt6QQ&feature=related

sbhikes
07-19-2011, 10:19
I hike with lots of older people. I don't think it's unusual to hike into your 80s. I just hope I can survive the work years. All this desk sitting is really hard on your body and unhealthy.

Doctari
07-19-2011, 11:07
Your dad was only 19 when I was born, so barring major illness or accident I'm going to hike as much as I can till I'm "DRT*" In fact, except for the hassle of someone finding me & having to lug me out of the woods, I hope that's what I'm doing when I, , , , , , reach my expiration date. :)
75 doesn't seem as old to me as it used to. And hiking at that age seems not that different than at 56,,,, so far.
So keep encouraging Dad to do his best, & someday maybe we'll meet on the trail & share "Old people stories" about how Awful young people are ("much worse than we were at that age"). LOL



*DRT = Dead Right There

txag
07-19-2011, 11:16
My hiking partner is 72 years old and his technique is much better than I. So much so that I doubt my ability to hike at that age. I kick stumps and rocks that he seems to avoid which results in me falling every 200 miles or so - he falls about half that rate. We did call him the Legend but after meeting a 74 year old hiking by himself in the middle of nowhere this year had to back off.

I agree that a large component of hiking longevity is genetic.

At 72 he will ski free at Santa Fe this year. Has to wait until 80 to ski free at Taos - he may even make that lofty goal.

Ewker
07-19-2011, 11:31
I am only 60 (will be 61 in Nov) and I hope to be hiking a for a long time. My gf is 62 and just started backpacking about a yr ago. I broke her in on short overnight trips and have slowly increased the mileage and difficulty. She may be slow on the hills and rocky sections but she totally enjoys being out there. We are making plans for a week long hike in Sept which will be her longest time out. She is really excited about getting out for that long.

Old Boots
07-19-2011, 11:47
I am 69 and am planning a thru-hike or at least a major section hike on the AT next year. My only concern is being away for 6 months. My wife just can't get along without me ( at least that is what she says). I would agree that keeping active is the best way to keep active. As long as my doctor keeps wondering how I do it, I am going to keep on doing it.

LDog
07-19-2011, 13:08
I have hopes and fears of what I may be capable in 15, much less 25 years. My maternal grandfather died of Alzheimers, and my Dad suffers from dementia. So, I have it on both sides of the family. Maybe I'll dodge that genetic bullet, and I'll be hiking anywhere my boot-steps take me, and maintaining a nearby section of trail ...

Storm
07-19-2011, 14:03
I feel like I'm just getting started. Have walked for exercise for 30 plus years but only started backpacking a couple years ago. I have every intention of going as long and far as my legs will take me. As someone said earlier I would be more than happy to have someone find me dead in my tent some morning. They would never get the smile off my face.

Grinder
07-19-2011, 14:07
70 years old and I hike.
The AT always interested me, but I never got around to trying it until 4 years ago.
My first surprise was how physically demanding it is. Loaded climbing about killed me the first hike. Now, I train year around.

I have no desire to through hike. My compasrison is to eat steak every day for six months. I would get bored with it.
That said, I keep hiking further each year. This year will reach near 400 miles in two section hikes.

I plan to section until the wheels fall off the wagon.

GrayBear
07-19-2011, 15:35
Over the last several years, I have experienced a deepening desire to hike the AT. I was preparing to retire a bit early and then hike the trail in my late 50s. I am 49. My wife, bless her, actually appears to understand, and my sons will all be done with at least their undergraduate studies by that time. Then my life changed. About eight months ago, a family friend called us about a little five year old girl that needed a family and our lawyer filed our adoption petition just last week. My wife so much wanted to have a girl but all we ever got where apples with stems. In truth, I have always been terrified of having a daughter. It is just so scary when I think about what I was like when I was a young man, but Miranda has crawled into my heart and she is such a joy in our lives. My wife, obviously, is rather pleased with herself and the girls are having lots of fun even if most of my weekends now involve pink paint, oak flooring, new furniture to finish and ... the list never ends. What about my hike? The choices we make in life have consequence but I do not, in all honesty, regret this choice. My financial responsibilities will now extend into at least my late 60s and my dream of an early retirement to hike the AT is no longer realistic. Now I dream of a late retirement to hike the AT. However shellfish it might be, I pray that God preserve my knees. GrayBear

Snowleopard
07-19-2011, 15:45
a little five year old girl that needed a family and our lawyer filed our adoption petition just last week. My wife so much wanted to have a girl but all we ever got where apples with stems. In truth, I have always been terrified of having a daughter. It is just so scary when I think about what I was like when I was a young man, but Miranda has crawled into my heart and she is such a joy in our lives. ... I pray that God preserve my knees. GrayBear
Congratulations to GrayBear, Mrs. GrayBear and Miranda. Some events bring even more joy than that sign on top of Katahdin.

lemon b
07-20-2011, 08:37
Not many 80 year olds are on the trail. If I'm still around I fully intend to try and get out on the flatter sections. In my case I already have tweeky knees but have seen improvement by lowering both the weight of myself and my load. Not to mention getting some hiking poles for downhill. Quite frankly I wish I had listened to some of the younger hikers earlier in the game as far as pack weight suggestions and the use of poles.

weary
07-20-2011, 19:28
Well, I'm 82 and just spent five days in Baxter Park with 3 siblings, all older than 70, one sister 79, and numerous kids, grand kids, spouses, and significant others. It was a great trip, but my goal of climbing Doubletop after years of thinking about it failed. I did 1.3 miles, up a ridge and down another before the final mile to the summit. I decided enough was enough. and turned back with my 79-year-old sister. I had told her that I was walking at my own pace and she should walk at hers. And if she chose to wait for me, I would simply turn back.

But you know sisters. I saw her again and again, 300 yards ahead. She runs a hiker Hostel in Andover, and does far more hiking year round than I do. We met at the final stream crossing. We crossed it safely. Then discussed the future. I said [I] had enough and was turning back. She
said, "I know I could do it, but I'm quitting also."

Anyway, it was a great five days. My 45-year-old son climbed the Hunt Trail, crossed ridge, and down the Saddle Trail -- to Chimney Pond, Roaring Brook, and a pick up by my wife. aLONG WITH HIM WERE THREE CHILDREN, and a spouse of one of the kids. He had dreamed of doing it ever since climbing the moutain at age 6. I could continue, but this new improved Whiteblaze won't allow it. Every time I pause to think the program jumps back a couple of paraGRAPHS MAKING COHERRENT WRITING IMPOSSIBLE.

Cookerhiker
07-20-2011, 19:39
At 63, I'm in better shape than when I completed my first AT section hike at the age of 29. I attribute this to better eating habits/nutrition and exercise although I'm not a fanatic on the latter. And this Sunday, I start the Colorado Trail - the longest hike I've ever attempted (did the AT in sections none over 300 miles).

In 25 years, who knows? I started a thread about future years' hiking when I turned 60 and feel the same way now: I don't see an end to hiking but realistically, I've got more years behind me than ahead of me. Just keep in shape, don't overdo things, keep hiking, and take it year-by-year.

Big Dawg
07-20-2011, 23:41
Over the last several years, I have experienced a deepening desire to hike the AT. I was preparing to retire a bit early and then hike the trail in my late 50s. I am 49. My wife, bless her, actually appears to understand, and my sons will all be done with at least their undergraduate studies by that time. Then my life changed. About eight months ago, a family friend called us about a little five year old girl that needed a family and our lawyer filed our adoption petition just last week. My wife so much wanted to have a girl but all we ever got where apples with stems. In truth, I have always been terrified of having a daughter. It is just so scary when I think about what I was like when I was a young man, but Miranda has crawled into my heart and she is such a joy in our lives. My wife, obviously, is rather pleased with herself and the girls are having lots of fun even if most of my weekends now involve pink paint, oak flooring, new furniture to finish and ... the list never ends. What about my hike? The choices we make in life have consequence but I do not, in all honesty, regret this choice. My financial responsibilities will now extend into at least my late 60s and my dream of an early retirement to hike the AT is no longer realistic. Now I dream of a late retirement to hike the AT. However shellfish it might be, I pray that God preserve my knees. GrayBear

Congrats!! My 5 year old daughter melts my heart. I'm not looking forward to when she begins dating.

Anyway, why not start section hiking the trail? It's rewarding in it's own right, and a good way to "escape" for a weekend or a week or more. I may be able to thru-hike when I'm older, but until then I section hike, and love the flexability that it allows.